Getting Your Foot in the Door

Having been in the recruitment industry for some time now both in Australia and the United Kingdom, one question appears to always dominate, “How do I get my foot in the door?” which is generally directed to a particular industry or to continue career development internally in an organisation.

There are various ways to do this and to be honest I believe it is quite simple; research and planning has to be the focus. To give an analogy, the blurb on the back of a book gives you a brief and exciting insight into what the book is about and encourages you to purchase it. This is completed through knowing and researching your target audience.

To answer the question “how do I get my foot in the door?” an individual must complete their research if they are serious about starting their career or entering an industry. They need to ask some simple and easy questions: what is the organisation looking for in terms of skills and background? Do I require additional qualifications to make myself appeal to them? In completing the research to improve your opportunities, an individual must use their network connections to talk to the right people in the target arena, complete internet research and seek out recruitment consultants that work with your target employer.

Having completed the research stage you are now in a position to build the perfect resume, one that is written in such a way and with relevant information so as to appeal to the prospective employer. You will need to structure it so that it reads like the blurb on the back of a book; exciting and informative enough that the prospective employer is going to want to buy the whole book, which in this case is YOU.

The next step is to select your target audience – plan who it is you need to talk and send resumes to; Managers, Human Resources or Recruitment Consultants. These are the people who can get you where you want to go. With this approach you will be well placed to get your foot in the door.